


Fire and Air Saga

by ShootingStar13



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Assassination Attempt(s), Attempted Kidnapping, Avatar State, Biting, Claiming Bites, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Implied Mpreg, Implied Sexual Content, Kid Fic, Late Fic is Late, Love Bites, M/M, Not Canon Compliant - The Legend of Korra, Original Character(s), Possessive Aang, Possessive Behavior, Post Mpreg, Post-Canon, Protectiveness, Romantic Fluff, Sex Talk, Spirit World Gave them a Baby, Zukaang Week 2020, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, yip yip
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-09-07
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:13:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25544938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShootingStar13/pseuds/ShootingStar13
Summary: My extremely late submissions for Zukaang Week 2020!Day 1: Bite (Not really as NSFW as you might think).Day 2: Mine (I made it angsty, sorry not sorry).Day 4: Surprise (It's a surprise!)
Relationships: Aang/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 202
Collections: Zukaang Week 2020





	1. Love Bites

Sitting amongst his council in a bone-dry meeting, Zuko hikes up the red and gold collar around his neck, he does this almost subconsciously and so far, no one really seems to pay much attention to him when he does readjust his collar because he does it almost as often as he does other things during the meeting, like pinching the bridge of his nose, shifting in his chair, and adjusting the scrolls he's writing on.

And ultimately, he is thankful for lack of perception amongst the people he’s in a meeting with because if anyone were to see the marks trailing up from his shoulders to his collarbones, and peppered along the sides of his neck, then the news of it would spread around the palace like a forest fire (pun not intended). The gossip would even continue to make its way into the daily conversations outside of the palace and finally throughout the entirety of the Fire Nation. 

The scandal alone would be one not seen by Fire Nation royalty in centuries and Zuko wouldn’t be able to take the hushed voices and prying eyes from everyone around him. It would be horrendous if his marks were made public knowledge, he wouldn’t be able to contain his embarrassment if he had to talk to someone who knew about them.

However, having his marks known by certain unrelenting noble men and women trying to either marry him themselves or marry him off to their children would be pretty effective in shutting down their persistent flirting or matchmaking.

But in this situation, the cons definitely outweigh the pros. 

And later that night when he’s laying on his stomach, satin ruby sheets covering the lower half of his body, he lets out a low moan while the younger man hovering above him leans over and gives him yet another mark on the back of his shoulders, claiming him and making him feel more loved than he’s ever felt in his entire life. 

But even if he’s careful, sometimes he’s not careful enough and the marks that are indented into his porcelain skin do end up getting noticed by someone who’s somehow in the right place at the wrong time.

“Whoa! Damn Zuko, those look pretty serious.” Sokka says as he barges into Zuko’s room as he’s changing for their sword training session. 

“They don’t hurt if that’s what you’re asking,” Zuko says as casually as he can as he folds his fancy robes and changes into something a little more dirt and sweat friendly. 

“It looks like an alligator-dog bit you, who would even—oh! Oh! No! Gross!" Sokka screams and Zuko shouts at him to keep his voice down or the guards might get the wrong idea. Sokka composes himself and then says, "Okay, I did not need to know that! I do not need to see physical evidence of yours and Aang’s sex life, ew.” Sokka then sticks his tongue out, fake-gaging and quickly turning around to face away from Zuko. 

“You’re the one who barged into my room while I was changing, you don’t get to be grossed out.” Zuko sighs. "Please don't make a big deal about this okay? It's embarrassing."

Sokka only hums and then says “not gonna lie, I’m impressed, I didn’t peg the kid to be into anything kinky let alone a biter.”

“He’s not a kid, he’s 21.” Zuko groans as it seems like Sokka is just ignoring his previous statement and is purposefully keeping the subject going. 

“Still, nice, it's still gross though...but uh, congrats on the sex?”

“If I threaten to light your rat-tail of beard on fire will you drop the subject so we can go train?”

“Rude! It’s taken me months to grow this baby out to its full potential.” He says as he strokes the beard in question. 

But Zuko just ignores him and instead snaps his fingers together, creating a flame between his thumb and forefinger, getting Sokka to immediately leave his room. 

But it’s one thing having only one his friends find out about his boyfriend’s tendency to bite him because after they train, Sokka announces it to the entire gang who is again, somehow in the right place at the wrong time. But because it's Sokka, Zuko should have already known that there was no way this was going to stay between the two of them and Aang. 

(Said boyfriend isn’t even phased when Sokka tells everyone else about the quote, “love bites” and even he encourages Sokka by answering his extremely private questions.

“What do you get out of it?”

“I guess I’m a bit possessive towards those I love.” 

“So it’s just you marking your territory? Like a tiger-dillo?” 

“Guess so.” Aang shrugs with a wide grin).

Zuko tries not to dwell on the fact Aang has no shame when it comes to discussing their sex life with their friends because it’s his own lack of self-control that—when in the heat of the moment—makes him moan out louder than he intends to whilst under his uncle’s roof. 

Zuko doesn’t even register that his uncle overheard him and Aang last night until he sees the wide teasing smirk on the older man’s face as he serves them tea that morning. 

“I do not know the details of what you two were up to last night,” Uncle says, “but I had no idea my nephew was such a vocal lover!”

Zuko doesn’t apologize for the tea that sprays out from his mouth and onto the table in front of him. But Uncle cleans it up anyway, chuckling to himself in an almost evil tone. 

“Oh, were we too loud?” Aang asks with an unapologetic grin. 

“No, no, I was up late last night tending to some of my things, sleep becomes much more difficult to achieve when you’re my age.” 

And then the two of them continue to talk amongst each other, not even the tiniest bit affected by the previous conversation. But Zuko's stunned silence worries both his boyfriend and uncle so they ask him if he's alright. 

“I think you’re going to have to go to the meeting with King Kuei alone today…” Zuko groans. 

“Oh? Why’s that?” Aang asks, suddenly concerned, and under different circumstances, Zuko might feel a bit guilty for worrying him. 

“Because I think I’ve just died of embarrassment,” Zuko says, hanging his head in shame and allowing it rest on the mahogany table in front of him. 

Aang only laughs and drags Zuko up off the table by his sleeve. He then pulls him close to his chest and places a kiss on the top of his head, “I love you but you can be such a prude sweetheart.”

“I’m not a prude!” Zuko shouts as he jumps out of Aang’s arms. The look of disbelief Aang gives him almost goes unchallenged but then Zuko says, "I just, don't think this sort of thing should be discussed with my Uncle..." he grimaces and slumps his shoulders. 

“You are in love Zuko, there is no shame in indulging in the throes of passion.” Iroh smiles before adding, "you know...when your aunt and I were first dating each other we could hardly stay out of the bedroom!" He shares, overshares, and the thought of his Uncle and late Aunt having sex is just too much information than he ever needed to know about them. 

“I hate both of you so much,” Zuko mumbles while staring into his empty teacup. 

“At least he hasn’t seen the love bites,” Aang smirks and tells him in an all too loud whisper.

“But now he knows about them!” Zuko exclaims as he feels heat rise to his cheeks. If he’s not careful he might just firebend out of sheer embarrassment. 

“Oh, actually, I’ve seen them,” Uncle says with a full-belly laugh and Zuko stares at him in horror, desperately trying to replay all the times he’s gotten dressed in his room and had his uncle just casually walk by his half-open door and easily giving him a view of his marked body. “It makes me happy to know you two are happy.” Uncle quietly adds. 

“Thanks, Iroh!" Aang exclaims and then says, "Zuko might be a grump right now, but I know he’s grateful too,” Aang says with a smile before taking a sip of his tea. 

“Menaces, both of you.” Zuko sighs. “You for putting your boyfriend into an early grave,” he says to Aang and pointing an accusatory finger in his direction and he raises his hands in mock surrender and then Zuko groans and turns toward Uncle, “and you for making me have this conversation in the first place.” He says pointing the same finger to the older man. 

Uncle opens his mouth to say something else but Zuko gives him a hard look and he quickly shuts his mouth and instead takes a sip of his tea, smiling from his eyes as he watches as Aang laughs and throws his arm around Zuko’s shoulders and pulls him in for a pitiful attempt of a comforting hug. 

His boyfriend has no shame but it seems his uncle is even worse and that knowledge is enough to mentally scar him for life. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My Zukaang Week stuff is hella late, I know, but hey, I did some of them before disaster struck and now I finally get to finish the prompts I did start and post them!
> 
> (Also for those wondering, my dog is home and so far she is recovering well! But it's a pain getting her to take her meds).


	2. Make No Mistake, He's Mine.

The attack is unexpected because most people assume that assassins would at least have the brains to attempt to kill the Fire Lord on a day when his 'all-powerful master of the four elements' husband isn't home. 

But assuming is never a good thing because that's exactly what happens on a warm spring afternoon when the Fire Lord walks through the palace gardens with his husband on their way to lunch. 

“Sifu Hotman.” Aang greets with a playful bow. 

“I’m your husband, would it kill you to address me as such?” Zuko sighs with a shake of his head. 

“You want me to pull out the pet names then, darling?” Aang grins wide and wiggles his eyebrows.

“Agni, give me strength,” Zuko mutters as he runs his hand through his hair. 

“But sweetheart, I thought you wanted this?” Aang says and gives Zuko a wink. 

“What I want is to eat lunch with my husband before my next meeting.” 

“And I have the perfect lunch date set up for you, baby.” 

Zuko groans but smiles anyway, ultimately enjoying his husband’s antics, wishing he had the day off with him so they could get some more time together as they haven’t had more than a few hours to be alone together since their honeymoon seven months ago.

But before Zuko can follow Aang to the location of their lunch date, an arrow flies overhead and hits one of Zuko's guards in the back of the head, hard enough for his helmet to vibrate and then fall off. The guard, Kaito, falls unconscious and then three more arrows take down the other guards in Zuko's immediate circle.

Before Zuko and Aang have the time to react to the attack, the garden is suddenly surrounded by dozens of masked assassins wearing all brown clothing, clothing that would easily disguise them on the roofs of the palace where’d they lay in waiting for who knows how long. 

One of the assassins leaps from his place amongst the others and throws a few punches and kicks in Zuko’s direction. While Zuko fights the first guy another assassin tries to engage Aang, unearthing the ground between them and throwing it his way. Half a dozen other assassins encase the unconscious guards in rocky prisons while the other half help the assassin going against Aang.

Zuko shoots blasts of fire at the assassin but he is too quick on his feet and evades all of Zuko's attacks. This means he'll need to fight him hand-to-hand in order to get to Aang. 

Zuko tries to push past the assassin who is trying to keep him from helping Aang and amidst the chaos, Zuko can hear Aang call out for him. But he's all alone and fighting against far too many enemies and Zuko needs to be by his side. Fear courses through his veins as he tries to get to his husband to help him fight off the masked men attacking him. But he's preoccupied with fighting one man of thirty or so men. 

Zuko wonders why anyone would want to kill Aang when he’s brought so much peace, love, and hope to the world. Why would anyone want to kill the Avatar unless they want the world to fall victim to unbalance and anarchy? 

But the assassins fighting Aang aren’t trying to kill him, they’re only trying to keep him distracted and busy and away from Zuko. They're also actively widening the distance between them, putting more masked men in between the couple to keep them apart. 

That’s when Zuko realizes it’s not Aang they’re after.

They’re after him instead. 

Zuko’s hypothesis is proven true when the assassin fighting him spits all too familiar anti-Fire Nation rhetoric his way. 

“The world would be a better place without the Fire Nation in it.” The guy says, “The entire nation should be eradicated but no, you just had to seduce the Avatar so you can take the throne for yourself.” He says, his weapon of choice, a dagger, is an inch too close for Zuko’s liking as the two of them fight close range with each other. Zuko's own dagger, made entirely of fire, is swiping at the masked man in front of him to keep him from getting closer. 

Zuko leaps over the assassin, evading his attacks, and looks over his shoulder at his husband. He sees that Aang is using his staff to air bend and push past the assassins, but a dozen more are on his tail, keeping him from getting to Zuko.

Whoever planned this knew they needed the element of surprise and numbers on their side. 

“You’re no better than that bastard Ozai.” The assassin rasps as he thrusts a huge rock at Zuko’s head. Apparently, he can earth bend too. Which just makes things much more troublesome for Zuko. He still manages to dodge the rock in time but not the next one. And in that same moment, Zuko trips over the roots of a cherry blossom tree and he falls hard onto his back. The air from Zuko’s lungs is knocked out of him and the assassin’s knee now pushes onto his chest so that he can’t regain his breath. 

Zuko’s vision blurs and from the assassin’s hand he sees the blade of the dagger gleam in the bright light of the afternoon sun and all Zuko can think about is how sorry he is that he’s leaving Aang too soon and he hates the idea of hurting him in such a way.

_I wish we had more time, My Love._

The masked man tries pushing the dagger into his chest but Zuko has his hands around the man’s wrists, desperately trying to push away the weapon and keep it from penetrating through his chest. Flames erupt from Zuko’s fingers but they do nothing. The assassin doesn’t feel them. Because his outfit is entirely fire-resistant.

Suddenly, a bunch of the assassins are tossed across the garden, thrown into the bodies of the rest of the palace guards coming to help. 

The air howls around them and the ground beneath them is lifted from the gravitational pull of the earth. 

“Unhand him!” An echo-y voice booms overhead and Zuko quickly realizes that Aang has entered the Avatar State. 

The assassin on top of him goes still and Zuko is just as much in awe of the power and energy that Aang is showing. 

But the assassin doesn’t listen to Aang’s demand and instead returns his attention back to Zuko. 

Zuko can’t push the dagger away quickly enough and he feels a cold searing pain drive through the area of flesh just below his collarbone. 

A blinding flash of light stuns Zuko and he doesn’t know if it's the inevitability of death or Aang.

The weight is taken off Zuko’s chest and he convulses as he finally takes air into his lungs. His neck cranes and he watches as Aang fights the assassin with the power of his Avatar Spirit and the aid of his past lives. 

Aang holds the guy by his collar and removes his mask, and to Zuko’s expectations, the guy is completely unfamiliar to him. He's just a man angry with the Fire Nation and at the Fire Lord, which Zuko can’t blame him for, he has a right to be angry and hurt, but that pain doesn’t give him the right to do this. 

Aang throws the guy to the ground, sending shards of ice at him and they tear past his clothes and Zuko realizes that Aang is on the verge of killing this guy. 

Mustering all his strength, Zuko sits up and examines the dagger sticking out of his body, the blade is imbedded deep below his collarbone and a trickle of blood falls from the wound. Otherwise, it doesn't look that bad, so he takes a few deep breaths and pulls the weapon out and then quickly cauterizes the wound so he doesn't bleed out. 

“Aang!” Zuko cries, his voice hoarse as if he’s been screaming but he doesn’t remember screaming. He might have shouted when he had been stabbed, but he didn’t scream, or at least he can’t recall. 

But Aang isn’t listening and so Zuko stands on shaking legs and hurdles over the unconscious bodies of his guards and the assassins alike. 

“Aang!” Zuko calls out once more, breaking through the barrier of air surrounding his husband as he goes head to head with the leader of the masked men trying to kill him. “Aang, please, you know you can’t kill this man.” 

And Aang turns his head towards Zuko, his eyes and airbending tattoos glowing white-hot with rage and with the power of the Avatar State in his grasp. 

“I’m okay,” Zuko promises, though he's sore and he’s probably covered in bruises along his upper body. 

Aang’s eyes stay white but the elements surrounding him dwindle and he turns away from Zuko to face the assassin who’s now beaten bloody and curled up on the ground. 

The guy cowers when Aang lifts him by his collar once more and Zuko watches as Aang tells the assassin, “You may think you’re entitled to the Fire Lord’s life,” the echo-y voice says, “but make no mistake,” the echo begins to fade, “he’s mine.” Aang says once the Avatar State has left him. 

Aang drops the assassin and turns to Zuko, staggering as he stands and inches closer to him. 

Zuko allows Aang to lean against his shoulder, ignoring the pain he feels in that area to support his husband long enough to get them both someplace safe and quiet. 

“Ty Lee,” Zuko calls when he sees his friend, and she is quick to be at his side. “Dispose of this man and his friends in the city prison.” He tells her. 

And she grins and says, “with pleasure” as she and the other Kyoshi Warriors gather the fallen assassins and tie them together. Zuko’s other guards help with the process and also help those injured get themselves to the infirmary. Zuko will see to it that they are given a pay bonus and time off for their service today. 

But right now, he’ll worry about Aang who looks like he’s about to pass out himself. 

Zuko sends one of the guards to bring out a healer and then he takes Aang somewhere cool and shady for him to sit down and rest. 

Cupping his husband’s cheek in the palm of his hand, Zuko asks, “are you okay?” 

A tear rolls down Aang’s cheek and onto Zuko’s hand and then more begins to flow from the younger man's storm-grey eyes. 

“I was so scared,” Aang admits, his voice lower than a whisper. 

“I’m sorry”

“No. You have nothing to apologize for.” Aang tells him and Zuko sighs and nods. 

“Still, you saw me get stabbed…”

“Are you okay?” Aang suddenly asks as he slips down the sleeve of Zuko’s robe off his shoulder. The burnt skin on his collarbone covers the stab wound he received and Aang stares at it intently, “Shouldn’t we be going to see Kallik?” He asks. 

“I have one of the guards telling her to come here, you needed to sit down,” Zuko tells him. 

“I need to find out who that man was, what he wanted, and how he ended up getting past both your guards and the Kyoshi Warriors,” Aang’s voice is low and rough when he says this and it almost scares Zuko just how scary and angry Aang can get when his loved ones are threatened.

"We'll find out in time," Zuko promises. "But for now, you need to rest and regain your strength."

"And you need to have that shoulder looked at," Aang tells him ad Zuko smiles. 

"Of course."

And grinning past the tears, Aang lets out a sigh before he gently wraps his arms around Zuko's waist, slowly lowering himself so that he's lying across Zuko's lap whilst lying on his stomach and keeping an unbreakable grasp around Zuko's waist. 

"You. Are. Mine." He states, his voice harsh like the territorial growl of a sun-bear-lion, and he squeezes Zuko tighter. 

"Yes, I am," Zuko assures as he rubs comforting circles on Aang's back. Then leans down to place a kiss on top of Aang's head and lets his husband stubbornly hold him because they both need it. 

They stay like that for a few moments longer until the healer comes to assess their injuries. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Late fic is late lol.
> 
> But ya know what, yolo!
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> Also I hate writing fight scenes.

**Author's Note:**

> I posted it on Tumblr, but my zukaang week submissions are late because my dog got bit by a rattlesnake and I've been too depressed to write. 
> 
> Hope yall enjoyed the stuff I'm able to provide to the fandom!
> 
> I adore these two boys!


End file.
